Round 15 of the Gallagher Premiership is firmly upon us, and it’s set to be another fantastic weekend of domestic rugby!
The weekend begins in London, as Saracens welcome Gloucester to the StoneX. This is swiftly followed by a trip to Franklin’s Gardens as Northampton Saints face bitter rivals Leicester Tigers.
Rounding off Saturday’s matches, we venture to Sandy Park as Exeter Chiefs face Bath Rugby.
The action doesn’t end there, with two more treats on Sunday. We first head to Ashton Gate, as Bristol Bears face bottom side Newcastle Falcons. Rounding off the weekend, Harlequins venture north to face Sale Sharks.
But who will come out on top this weekend? Here is our best guess at how the weekend will play out.
Gallagher Premiership predictions: Northampton Saints, Exeter and Bristol all to record wins
Saracens 42-28 GloucesterÂ
Saracens will be hurting after back-to-back thumping’s, but the visit of Gloucester gives them a great chance to get back to winning ways. As we saw in their victory over Quins, they still posses the power to tear teams apart. Gloucester have improved in recent weeks, and will be competitive, but it’ll be a hard ask to topple an angry Saracens team.
Northampton Saints 35-17 Leicester TigersÂ
Phil Dowson’s men will be full of confidence this week, which should see them tighten their grip on the top spot. The Saints are back playing some spectacular rugby, particularly in attack, and this should guide them to a nice win over rivals Leicester Tigers. Leicester won’t be a pushover though, however Northampton should take maximum points home.
Exeter Chiefs 26-21 Bath RugbyÂ
These sides only met a couple of weeks ago, however the result should be the same this time around. The Chiefs put up a brave display against French giants Toulouse last weekend, especially in the opening 45 minutes, and they will take plenty of pride from that. They also have a slight edge over their opponents Bath following the Champions Cup game between the sides. The impact of the injuries to Finn Russell, Ted Hill and Cam Redpath cannot be understated either.
Bristol Bears 50-21 Newcastle FalconsÂ
Bristol have been purring since the Premiership restart, and they should waltz to victory against bottom side Newcastle. The Bears have rediscovered their attacking flair, and are starting to run teams ragged; and despite Newcastle’s recent improvements in defence it will be tough to keep the Bears out for 80 minutes.
Sale Sharks 14-35 HarlequinsÂ
Harlequins are in a party mood at the moment, and this should see them to another good win. Sale are an incredibly physical team, however they struggle to score points, which is Quins’ strong point. Sale seemed back in the hunt after dispatching Exeter, but a disappointing performance (albeit with a rotated squad) against the Ospreys has again showed attacking frailties. You simply can’t have these if you want to beat free-scoring Harlequins.
